Reversal
by Vadraxia
Summary: She was gifted with the power of Reversal, and we all know that with great power, comes great responsibility. Hollow Ichigo X Orihime, slight Ichigo x Orihime
1. Chapter 1

I know, I'm terrible. I should be working on Cataclysm right now, but this idea just popped into my head, and I couldn't resist! I think that this is a little better thought-out then Cataclysm personally, but I guess we'll see.

Takes place right after Soul Society arc. No Vizards, sorry (

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I don't own Orihime's Shun Shun Rika either. I don't own any spell checks or grammar checks, so I'm aware my grammer and spelling can suck most of the time )

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"So... Your powers reverse stuff. Right?" Kurosaki Ichigo muttered passively, sticking a large amount of rice into his mouth. He watched the girl opposite of him with one eye, and she glanced up at him, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

Pausing for a moment, Orihime set down the bottle of ketchup (which she had been pouring in copious amounts on her rice) on the table. "W-well, yeah. I guess you could put it that way, Kurosaki-kun," the girl offered hesitantly. She had invited him over for dinner the previous night, feeling that it had been a while since they had spent some time together. Being the way she was, Orihime had offered to make dinner for them both. As hesitant as the orange-haired boy had been, he had accepted.

It had only been a few short months since they had returned from the Soul Society, but to her, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

Although, nothing had really changed from then anyway.

The orange-haired boy set his bowl down, placing his hands on his knees (which were crossed), and his brown eyes connected with hers. "Any idea how far back you can reverse things then?"

Taken aback by the question, Orihime placed her finger on her lips, trying to recall what she had learned. "Well, I don't think I've ever met a limit. Usually I just heal people, so I never test it too much. I figure it can go quite a while, but it depends what for. Why?"

He exhaled softly, picking his bowl back up and began stuffing more rice in his mouth. "No reason."

Orihime's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the orange-haired boy across the table. She lowered her hand, clenching them gently on her lap. "Kurosaki-kun, considering that you brought the conversation up, I have to assume that you have some huge plot that is probably going on behind everyone's view. This will eventually end up with you getting into trouble with some guys in black suits, and then Ishida-kun and I will have to barge in to their secret hide-out as they're about to gang-beat you in order to save you! So you might as well tell me before any of that happens!"

Ichigo glanced at her hesitantly, doing his best not to laugh at her lengthy story. "Ah, sorry Inoue-san. I suppose that would be bad if any of that happened." He let out a small smirk, and Orihime glanced back down at her lap as another small blush crept up onto her face.

"H-hai..."

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked gently, running his hand through his bright orange hair. She nodded anxiously after a moment of consideration. Knowing her, it was most likely that she was "calculating" every possible outcome of this converstion, and by calculating, that means "making up". "Good. I need your help."

She looked up at him, concern covering her face. Ichigo asking for her help? "W-with what?"

He folded his arms on his chest, as if considering his next words. "Do you think that your Shun Shun Rika can reverse someone being created?"

Her eyes widened suddenly, completely taken aback by his question. Reverse someone being created? As in killing them? Orihime bit down on her lower lip softly, reminding herself that the orange-haired boy still awaited an answer. "Well... I don't know, b-but I suppose that if it were recent..." she paused for a moment, realizing that if what he was asking was what she thought, that would mean a child... She took a deep breath before continuing, "I've never tried something like it." And I hope I never will...

Ichigo stared at her for a few moments, and she felt as if she would be crushed under his gaze. Why did she have to invite him over again?

"Are you willing to try?"

Her breath caught in her throat, not believing that he would ask something of the sort to her. What kind of person or thing was he talking about that would cause him to be this serious? He knew that she wasn't accustomed to battle. How did he expect her to be alright with "reversing someone's creation".

"Kurosaki-kun, I have the deepest respect for you, but the fact that you would ask something like this of me is unacceptable," she began to stand up, using the table to push herself up, "I'm no murderer."

A stricken look covered his face, and she immediately regretted her words, as true as they were. Kurosaki-kun had always sacrificed himself for her, why shouldn't she do the same? Murder isn't the same as self sacrifice... she reminded herself gently.

"Inoue-san, I don't think that you understand what I'm trying to say. I'm not asking you to murder an innocent human being." Ichigo began to explain, doing his best not to upset her further, "I don't know if it could be classified as a human either, but it's more dangerous then I can possible handle."

Orihime felt tears begin to form at the tips of her eyes. She hated seeing Ichigo in such a defenseless situation. He was her knight. He was the one that would come to her rescue; not the other way around!

He stood suddenly, half turning away from her, "I'm sorry Inoue-san, I shouldn't have asked something like this of you. Thank you for the dinner..."

She squeezed her hands together roughly, trying to sort out what to do before he left. She couldn't forsake him now after all that he had done to help her. It just wasn't right. Maybe I should just hear him out...

"Wait, Kurosaki-kun." she reached out towards him subconsciously, her other hand placed above her breasts. "I want to help you, I really do."

The orange-haired death god turned back towards her, a flash of guilt covering his face. "Thank you, Inoue-san. I will try and make this as easy for you as possible."

She nodded slowly, taking a few steps until she was in front of him. She took his hand in her own, regardless of her face heating up by the second. "What do I need to do?"

"You ready?"

Orihime smiled softly, happy that she could be of use to Ichigo. "I am."

She felt Ichigo's reiatsu grow as he channeled some of his spirit energy through both of them. Her breath caught in her throat as light enveloped her vision. No, this wasn't light. It was darkness. What kind of problem does Kurosaki-kun have that he needs my help?

Before she could mention anything, darkness covered her and Ichigo.

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Orihime opened her eyes to bright blue sky, covered in evenly dispersed clouds that moved quickly, regardless of the fact there was no wind. Were they moving up? No, it must be her eyes playing with her. She stood up quickly, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her. She staggered softly, bumping into something behind her.

She turned around to find Ichigo, his hands out to give her balance. Orihime shook her head slowly, not sure what to make of what just happened. She looked around, but decided that it wasn't the best idea when to her right, she saw a road. A dream? No.

"Stay on your guard, Inoue-san," Ichigo muttered quickly, glancing around as if looking for something. Or someone.

"W-where are we, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked gingerly, afraid that she might fall from the ground she stood on any second. Every bone in her body demanded that she lay down to avoid falling, but seeing Ichigo standing perfectly still was the only thing that kept her immobile.

"This is Zangetsu's world," he stated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Zangetsu? Oh yes! His sword, she recalled suddenly. She was in his zanpakutoh's world? What exactly did he need fixing?

"Oy, King! Who's th' girl?" an unfamiliar voice called from behind her. Both she and Ichigo spun around quickly, and her eyes widened in fear of what she saw.

It was... Ichigo? No. This wasn't Ichigo. The thing laid on it's side lazily, watching them from a building only a short distance away. Ichigo turned to her, determination covering his face.

"Can you reverse him?"

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Weee, and there's the first chapter! I hope you liked it so far ) I plan for this to end up more HollowIchigoxOrihime more then IchigoxOrihime, but judging by how I write, it could honestly end up anything )

Review and let me know what you think!!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** - Wow! I never expected such a response! I'm so happy that people find this storyline intruiging, and this is such an improvement (review wise) over my previous story! I have no idea if even possible to do anything like Ichigo and Orihime do when they enter Zangetsu's world but... I suppose this story wouldn't work if it didn't. I pretty much have it so that if they channel a small amount of spirit energy into their thoughts, they can transfer their own, basically sending their consciousness to the thoughts as well.

**Naien** - Thanks for the review! Honestly, I doubt that having Orihime use her powers like this is even possible, but I thought that it made an interesting plotline!

**Cheese Maiden** - Ah, I've always loved any pairing that has Orihime in it. I'm not too sure this will end up as a large-scale IchigoxOrihime, but I guess we'll see.

**Snowleaf** - Thanks for the review! Hearing things like that really motivates me to write more )

**Fahye** - Wow, thanks for the review. I have to admit, I'm deeply in love with the IchigoxHollow Ichigo pairing, myself. But a pairing with Orihime is just too sweet to pass up!

**Oxygen Pirate** - Thanks for the tip! I'll go check that out D

Anyways, onnnn with Chapter 2!

P.S. - I do remember that Hurosaki or whatever began calling Ichigo "King" during the arrancar arc, but work with me here?

Other note - In case you didn't know, Hime princess in japanese! Thus the reason that Hurosaki will refer to her as "princess"

Sorry it's a bit shorter then the last chapter

Probably won't have another chapter into well after Christmas, as I'm going to see my Dad for a week or so )

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, and I'm making absolutely no profit off of this!!!

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Orihime's eyes raced back and forth wildly, searching for some hidden answer between the two men. What on earth was going on? Why were there two Ichig-- No. She had to remember that this wasn't Ichigo. There was such a... dark energy around him that made her shudder.

The _thing _raised an eyebrow at her confused state as Ichigo repeated his question from earlier, "Inoue-san? Can you reverse him?" She swallowed roughly, still finding it difficult to stand up straight in this strange atmosphere. _So Kurosaki-kun wasn't speaking of a child. Good..._

"Kurosaki-kun... What on earth is that thing?" she whispered hesitently to the orange-haired boy.

"Tch. Tha' was a bit harsh, don'tcha think?" the man responded before Ichigo could get a word in. Orihime had to strongly resist glaring directly at the thing.

Ignoring his lookalike, Ichigo responded to her question softly, trying to avoid the other's ears, "He's... a result of a certain incident including Urahara. Remember before we went to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia? When I was training to regain my Shinigami powers?" Orihime nodded quickly, growing anxious as the lookalike stood. "Well, during the lesson to regain my powers, he ended up as the result..."

She frowned, biting the bottom part of her lip softly. So _this _was what he meant by reversing something. He didn't want her to kill or muder anything or anyone... Ichigo wanted her to erase the darkest side of his soul.

"Oy, King! Whatcha talkin' 'bout tha' I can't hear?" the man shouted as he suddenly jumped over to the same building as them. _So fast..._

"Stop right there." Ichigo commanded, and the man smirked softly before oblidging. _So there's a reason why he refers to Kurosaki-kun as "King." _"I'm your superior, so if you lay a hand on Orihime, you will regret it."

She blushed slightly at Ichigo's protective nature. The other man let out a small laugh, and goosebumps formed on her bare arms.

"Orihime, huh? So what's your story, princess?" She stepped back slightly, taking partial cover behind the orange-haired shinigami. This only seemed to entertain the monster more.

"You touch her, you die," Ichigo warned yet again.

"Hah, like you could kill me." He raised his hands slowly, muttering under his breath, "I'd never even think 'bout it."

Satisfied, Ichigo returned to a regular stance, pulling Orihime up next to him. "Good. If all goes well, you'll never think again." He looked over to the orange-haired girl with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Lets go. You've seen enough."

Orihime nodded anxiously, excited to get out of Zangetsu's world. Where was the thing anyways? "Yes, please."

"Bye bye, now!" the thing shouted cheerfully as the orange-haired boy channeling his spirit energy, causing them both to blink out of sight.

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After returning back to Orihime's house, Ichigo left abrubtly, staying only to assist her in clearing the table. Orihime finished cleaning the kitchen before going to bed, seeing that it had already reached 11, and tomorrow was a Monday.

She awoke to the sound of her alarm ringing, and she groaned slightly as she twisted around to turn it off. Orihime quickly removed her silk pyjamas, stepping into the hot shower.

After getting dressed, she moved to the kitchen, enjoying a tasty breakfast consisting of a chocolate-chip omlette and a raisen bagel covered in salsa.

"Good morning, Orihime," Tatsuki greeted as she sat down in her usual desk. Her dark-haired friend looked the same as she usually did, her hair gelled out in her uniform spikes.

"Morning, Tatsuki-chan!" she chirped in response. This was their usual conversation, and it saddened Orihime to think about how distant she had grown to her dear friend ever since she met Rukia. Looking over to a seat to her left, she noticed that nobody had ever occupied the seat she had left when she remained in the Soul Society. She missed Rukia...

Orihime blinked quickly, noticing how exhausted she was. She may have gotten to sleep at a normal time, but sleep was hard to come by when they were plauged by nightmares. How long had Ichigo lived with such a demon inside of his soul? What exactly was the thing?

"Orihime? Are you alright?" She blinked back to awareness, shaking her head slightly.

"Ah, sorry Tatsuki! I didn't get much sleep last night." she laughed in response, putting on her normal smile. "I'll be fine by lunch!" Tatsuki nodded as they continued on in their conversation. Orihime listened patiently, but half of her mind was on different matters.

Just as Ichigo walked in, carrying his bag over his shoulder, Orihime let out a small gasp. She frowned inwardly, realising that the only reason she reacted in such a way was because he had reminded her of... Well, exactly the thing she was thinking about. She looked down to her desk, blushing softly at her mistake, and Tatsuki laughed lightly at her foolishness.

"Morning, Inoue-san," another voice greeted, smoother then Ichigo's. She looked up brightly and met eyes with Uryuu Ishida, a little smile covering his face.

"Morning, Ishida-kun!" she responded, doing her best to ignore the orange-haired boy's wary glances. She hated to ignore him like this, but after last night, it was so hard to meet him eye to eye.

The first block of classes went by quite smoothly, and Orihime listened intently, regardless of the thoughts on her mind. She _was _in the top part of the class, and she hoped to maintain that.

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"Inoue-san. I'm sorry for putting this all on you at once," Ichigo muttered under his breath, sitting under a tree outside. Ever since they had returned from the Soul Society, he, Orihime, Ishida, and Chad always sat here for lunch. Whenever they were there, it was easy to sense the fact that Rukia was missing. He frowned, recalling the day that the raven-haired girl told him that she was staying in the Soul Society. He was happy for her, finally accepted by her family.

"Kurosaki-kun, it's alright," she smiled softly, both Chad and Ishida completely lost on the conversation. Perhaps that was for the better. "I still want to help you."

He smirked happily, truly pleased that she would still help him after being thrust into such a whirlwind of events. There really wasn't anyone that he could trust to help him other then Orihime. She had always been there for him. To heal his wounds, to help his problems.

_"Heh, looks like th' princess would do anythin' for you,"_ the hollow half of him laughed, and Ichigo pushed the voice away. It was pretty common for those voices to pop up now, but he ignored them nonetheless.

"Thank you, Inoue-san." He saw her face go red slightly before taking a large bite of her tomatoe and peanutbutter sandwhich, a small bit of his spreading on the right side of her mouth.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I hope everyone had a safe Holiday and New Years full of relaxed...ness and fun XD Sorry I took so long.

**Fahyed:** Haha, thanks for the support :3 I guess now my fanfiction is started to relax into a regular update that isn't every 2 days. Sorry .

**Naien**: Aye, I hear you with that one. I mean, during the manga, Aizen really took special appreciation of her powers, so I assume that they are quite extroardinary, and can surpass healing by a long shot?

**DarkendShadowFire** : Hehe, thanks! I know how hard it is to read a fanfiction when it's late P

**Winterxinnocene** : Haha, thanks. It's hard to portray him as someone who is as eeevil as he is, but also someone who isn't too cold towards people like Hime 3

**Mikomimaru**: Oh, I know what you mean. There are so many fanfictions that I read, and it's always sad to see the author give up on their story.

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

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"Hey, Old Man, you know what?" the hollow jumped from building to building, his white kimono flying in the wind. The black-clad man stood upon his sword on one of the buildings, staring forward with an empty expression. He never did talk much.

"I think th' King is gonna try and get rid o' me," he continued, not caring whether or not the sword was listening. He landed on the building next to the sword, and the man looked over at his owner's lookalike.

"Why do you think this?" his stern voice asked. It echoed throughout the entire world, but he paid it no heed.

The hollow shrugged at his question, sitting down on one of the windows. "I think he wants th' girl to destroy me."

The sword turned back to where he had been previously staring. _At least it wasn't raining, _he thought to himself simply.

"You think she can?" his voice intergected once again, and a string of annoyance entered the old man's conciousness.

"I don't know. Anything is possible," he returned, missing the silence that he had before the hollow had ever been created.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go along with it fer now. I can quiet them both if I wan' to," he snicked before leaping off to one of the distance buildings.

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"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted as she ran towards the orange-haired boy who was packing up his bags on his desk. He turned to meet her, and a hestiant look crossed her face. "Kurosaki-kun, would you like to come over for some cake and tea?"

Eavesdropping on the conversation, Uryuu shot Ichigo a passive glare before he stepped out of the classroom, but he hardly took notice. "Uhh, sure Inoue-san."

She smiled sincerely, hoisting her bag over her shoulder and grabbing his large hand, pulling him across the classroom.

"Kurosaki-kun, if you don't mind me asking... How exactly do you plan to give me the time to do what you asked? Something of that size would take ages..." she sighed as they walked on the sidewalk only a few blocks from her house.

He looked over at her warily, trying to decide how best to state the fact that he had no plan, "well... I was sort of thinking that we'd just improvise?" He laughed halfheartedly as she left out a sigh, playing with her long hair.

"Well then... Does he have a name?"

He looked over towards her as if she had just told him a pack of hollows lived in her basement (not that he'd be terribly surprised with the trouble that she tended to get herself into). "N-name? He's a monster, why would he need a name?"

She frowned at the orange-haired shinigami, sticking her chin up ever-so-slightly, as if pouting. "That's pretty rude. Everything deserves to have a name! How would you feel if your parents never named you?"

He flinched slightly at the mention of his parents, stuffing his hands in his pockets subconciously, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The orange-haired girl stuck the key firmly into the lock and opened the door, peeking inside before letting Ichigo enter. They slipped off their shoes before Orihime ran immediately into the kitchen, pulling a large box out of the kitchen. "I picked this up from the store earlier. I've been waiting to eat it for days now!!!"

"Ah, that looks good, Inoue-san," Ichigo grinned, sitting following her into the kitchen to offer his assistance.

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Orihime Inoue felt herself become plunged into darkness yet again as goosebumps covered her arms, the hair on them standing on end. Ichigo's reassuring smile was the only thing that kept her breathing in regular intervals. He really was her savior.

Landing on the hard building, Orihime let out a small, "oof!" as she felt her feet sting on contact. "Owowow," she muttered to herself, stopping suddenly when she noticed someone she had never seen before.

A tall man stood upon what looked like a sword, staring off into the distance. He was all clad in black, and she crinkled her nose slightly, noticing that his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks.

"Oy, Ooji-san, where were you before?" Ichigo shouted, waving his arm as the man turned around to face both of them. He had slight stubble at his chin, and large sunglasses that nearly hid his eyes. Orihime took a mental note that he wasn't someone who would be good to make an enemy of. "Inoue-san, this is Zangetsu."

Her eyes lit up brightly in recognition. "So this is the guy you always curse about! Didn't you just say recently that he's always so useless?" She beamed widely, and the man cocked an eyebrow at the orange-haired shinigami.

"Uh.. yeah, anyways, you know where that one guy is?" Ichigo muttered passively, glancing around his inner world for signs of the hollow, "I need to take care of something."

"Ah yes, he mentioned that you had some plans to get rid of him?" the sword asked, almost a hint of anticipation lining his words. "He's always here. You just need to call out to him."

Ichigo shrugged at the old man's vague answer before stepping in front of Orihime. "Hey! _Thing! _Can you come out for a second?" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Orihime bit her bottom lip both in fear and anticipation. This would never work...

"Y' called?" the hollow greeted, jumping to a nearby rooftop, "there's too many damn buildings here t' tell!"

Orihime squeezed her hands together tightly in front of her before pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm going to need your co-operation for the moment, hollow."

"Tha' right? I don't suppose you wan' to trick me into lettin' th' girl get th' best of me?" he snickered slyly, a grin twisted his face. She shuddered subconciously, while Ichigo nodded towards his sword's manifestion before grabbing the actual sword from behind him.

"Ah, I'd never take advantage of someone like you. That's why I'm going to need you to co-operate by your own free will," Ichigo smirked, a similiar grin covering her face. Orihime didn't like the fact that they were almost a perfect mirror of eachother. It was disturbing.

"Ha, but y'see, if we fought here, I might mess up and injure th' princess," he grinned, noticing the orange-haired boy's hesitation. "Wouldn't want anythin' to happen t' th' lady." Orihime flushed slightly, looking down at the floor. Was she blushing because she was scared? Whatever the case was, she swallowed harshly, stepping out from behind Ichigo.

"P-please, Mr. H-hollow, sir," as the words left her mouth, she already knew she was only going to regret it later, "D-don't fight Kurosaki-kun."

He cocked an eyebrow at the woman, letting out a bark of laughter at her attempted bravery, "Well, isn't that interesting. Looks like th' princess would put her life on th' line for you, King." Orihime flushed brightly, biting her bottom lip.

The hollow glanced at the girl, then back at his look-a-like, then back at the girl before speaking again, "Alrigh'. I'll play along fer now. I'd like t' see what's gonna happen."

Ichigo watched the hollow warily, giving one last glance at Zangetsu before nodded at his other. He leaned forward slightly towards Orihime, whispering something in her ear. She nodded in agreement as they both started walking towards the hollow slowly.

This was going to be difficult.

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Yes, I know, not the most interesting chapter, but I promised myself that I'd get one done today, and this is what happens when I rush P

See you next time :3


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Ah, sorry for the long wait guys (Yes, I realise I still have yet to update Cataclysm... but it's coming. Maybe P Make sure to check out my other story, Regret, which is dedicated to my all time favourite pairing (GinxRangiku 3). I only have one chapter up atm, but I'll write in when I'm in the mood!

**Akihiko **- brilliant prince

**Cheese Maiden_ - _**Haha, I apologize for the cliffy. I suppose it's up to the reader to choose whether to notice that or not, but nice eye )

**Snowleaf **- Ohhh, I knowww!!! glomps as well

**Darkenshadowfire **- Hehe, thanks for the review!

**Fahyed - **Aw, thanks for the support. I think Hollow Ichigo is just such a cool character, and Orihime really is sugoi! I hope you get a chance to see how great she isss (maaanga!!!)

**Mikomimaru - **Hehe, well I guess you get to see what it'll be in this chapter. It took me a while to decide on something, and I realise it's a bit cheesy, but it really fits if you think about it!

**WinterXInnocence - **Aw, thanks! Hearing people say that really motivates me to write!

**Disclaimer: **As hard as I wish, I do not own Bleach.

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"Ow! Stop that!" the hollow muttered under his breath as he was suddenly pushed onto his behind by the shinigami. "Just 'cause I said I'd go along with it, didn't mean I'd let you push me around..." Ichigo rolled his eyes at the man's lack of common sense. "Now, if it were the princess, that'd be a different story..."

The hollow got a punch to the face immediately, and Orihime blushed slightly, kneeling down next to the hollow. She noticed that his nose was bleeding slightly, and it seemed so strange with the contrast of his skin. "Tch, you bastard..."

"Yeah, yeah. You just stay quiet and let us get our job done." Ichigo complained, pointing Zangetsu in his direction.

"Umm... Please just stay still," Orihime pleaded to the man as he fidgited slightly. When they met eyes, she quickly averted her gaze to the floor. It was just too indimidated to see someone that looked exactly like Ichigo this close. "Shonou, Ayame; Souten Kishun, I reject!"

"The hell?" the white-haired hollow exclaimed as a golden glow began to cover him, creating a sort of barrier. He didn't like this. Something told him it was too late to go back now. He had always hated being cornered. Ever since he had been created, the hollow had always been ordered around. Zangetsu, Ichigo, they always both just used him as if he were their slave. Of course, he really never had a choice in the matter, as he couldn't do much either way. It was more interesting then sitting around all day. That went without saying.

"My powers work as a sort of... reversal process. Each of the petals represent one of my powers," Orihime smiled slightly, trying to take his comment as more of a question than an insult. "I usually use this power to heal."

"Uh huh," the hollow muttered, laying back and resting his chin on his open hand. "How long is this gonna take?"

"I-I don't really know..." she replied, lowering her head slightly to avoid his piercing gaze. He sighed, turning his gaze over to his look-a-like, who was sitting cross-legged with a smirk covering his face.

"What're you grinning 'bout, King?" the hollow spat at the orange-haired shinigami. Ichigo laughed slightly at the others' irritation before answering.

"It's just so funny to see you so vulnerable. I'd never expect you to willingly give in." he spoke softly, realising how unrealistic the entire situation actually was. "Further, I'd never expect you to surrender so easily to a woman."

"Tch, you don't know me very well then," the hollow teased, his face twisting into a creepy grin. "I'd sooner surrender to a woman then to someone like you." Orihime's face was slightly flushed as she continued her work. She really hated being talked about so indirectly, but she could be in a few worse situations at the moment.

The time passed slowly, and the silence grew uncomfortable during her work, except for the rare disputes that raged between the two look-a-likes. Zangetsu remained quiet throughout the whole night, and Orihime began to realise that this was perhaps normal behavior for him.

After what seemed like hours, Ichigo finally stood up, informing her that they should be getting back. Regardless of the fact that no time passed in this world, time was still moving in the real world, and it was probably just nearing dinnertime. She returned her Shun Shun Rika, and stood up, backing a few steps away from the hollow. Orihime was much less comfortable around him when the barrier wasn't there, even if it didn't offer any protection.

"Come again sometime. It was charming, really," the hollow grinned sarcastically, letting out a lazy yawn as the made their departure back to the world of the living.

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"Hey, Inoue-san?" Ichigo spoke while gathering his schoolbags from her livingroom.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" she returned, standing a few feet away from the door with her hands behind her back. He stood up and looked her straight in the eyes, regardless of his obvious height advantage.

He scanned her face, noticing her full features, her large grey eyes shining brightly from the lights in the room. Did she always look so frail, so scared? He shook his head slightly, dismissing his concern as he walked over to her.

"Thanks," he concluded simply, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before opening the door and leaving. Orihime's eyes shot open at the contact, and she felt her face heat up to the temperature of a furnace. She raised her left hand and brushed the cheek he had kissed he on slightly, doing her best not to let out a small giggle of excitement.

"Anytime, Kurosaki-kun."

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"Morning, Inoue-san," Ishida smiled charmingly as he walked up to her at her desk. His dark hair slightly shrouded his eyes, but a soft blush faintly covered his pale skin.

"Morning Ishida-kun!" she chirped happily, tucking her orange hair behind her right ear. He sat down in the desk next to herself, hanging his bookbag off the corner of his chair.

"So, where have you been all the time lately? It seems are if we never get to see you anymore."

"A-ah, I've been spending time with Kurosaki-kun lately. You know, just hanging out and stuff," she spoke absently, not noticing the frown that appeared on the man's face. She turned towards him, peering harshly into his face.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around. It's probably been really tough for you without Kuchiki-san..." she did her best to cut herself off before she finished, but failed miserably. She brought her hand up to her mouth, letting out a small gasp, "Oh, I'm sorry Ishida-kun! I shouldn't have said that out loud!" Inoue then began to palm herself in the forehead, muttering something about how tired she was.

He watched her, an extremely confused expression on his face as he wondered what she might have meant by him missing Rukia. Of course he missed her, but surely not as much as someone like Ichigo did. He shrugged it off, turning forward just in time to see a rampaging Tatsuki run into the room, stopping abrubtly at the girl's desk.

"Orihime!!! Is it true what I heard that you've been spending all of your days afterschool with Ichigo!?" she demanded, smoke literally bursting out of her ears from irritation and misguided ideas.

"Eeeh?" she replied simply, not at all sure how to respond to her enraged friend. "U-ummm... Hai?" Tatsuki (along with many other female characters in the classroom) let out a gasp of alarm. Just in the nick of time, Kurosaki Ichigo walked through the door, carrying his pack over his shoulders, curious as to what all the commotion was about.

"You bastard..." she fumed, raising a fist towards the orange-haired boy. Seeing the teacher walk into the room, hitting Ichigo on the head with her attendance book, Tatsuki walked to the desk behind Orihime and sat, glaring at Ichigo.

"Yosh! Looks like everyone is here and in good health!" the teacher exclaimed loudly, obviously missing the three empty seats in the back row. A few people gaped in disbelief, but most just smirked softly, beginning to see the pattern in their sensei's attitude.

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"Kurosaki-kun... Are you feeling alright?"

Ichigo looked up from the ground ahead of him towards Orihime, and his eyes met with her grey ones. "Huh? Yeah, of course I am." She nodded slowly, turning back to the road, biting her bottom lip softly. "Why do you ask?"

"I-iie, I just thought you looked a little pale..." she muttered softly, holding her bag in front of her with both hands. Ichigo shrugged slightly, dismissing her concern as they entered her house once again.

"Kurosaki-kun, isn't your family a little suspicious of you coming over here every day?" Orihime inquired, locking the door once both of them were in.

"They haven't said anything. Why?"

"O-oh. Nothing."

"Inoue-san, what's wrong? It sounds to me like you're stalling..." Her looked down at her, crossing his arms sternly. "What's wrong?"

She plopped down on her soft couch, grasping her hands together tightly before answering. "Umm... Well, I guess I'm just a bit nervous to go back there." As much as she hated to admit her fears to the one person she thought was invincible, she continued, "that man frightens me."

Ichigo sat down next to her, trying to think of the best way to consol her without having her draw back. As much as he didn't want her to be hurt, it was too far to stop now. "Inoue-san... When I was only about two years old, I was always afraid of the rain. You know why?" She looked over towards him, interest covering her eyes as a little child would look when a story was being read to them.

"When I was two, I never knew what rain was. I never knew how it worked, or what it was called. Now I know that it's nothing to be afraid of, because I understand it." Her grey eyes slowly filled with understanding, realising what the orange-haired boy was trying to portray with his story.

"I think I get what you mean. Thank you Kurosaki-kun. I think I'm ready to start again."

Orihime said nothing at all after this, while Ichigo constantly tried to imagine what she might be thinking. Different ideas racked her brain at the same time until she disappeared into the darkness she was slowly becoming used to.

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"Back again I see?" the hollow smirked, seeing his new "friends" appear before his eyes. "It seems like you never left."

"I know what you mean," Ichigo groaned, pointing to the spot where the hollow was to sit. "Lets get this over with so I don't have to see your face again." The white-haired man's face twisted into a frown, almost as if he were to spit in Ichigo's direction. Orihime went to kneel beside him, placing her hands on her temples to call her Shun Shun Rika.

"Yes, now please stay still, Akihiko," a small smile set on her lips as she spoke the name she had created for him. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her, and the hollow nearly mimicked it right after. She blushed as she looked to the floor (or more precisely, window). "Shonou, Ayame; Souten Kishun, I reject!"


End file.
